Developmental

The Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon has recently expanded the scope of its Developmental Psychology program with the addition of new faculty and new emphases in the graduate curriculum. Our department as a whole offers extensive coverage of development during infancy, childhood, and adolescence, with some additional interest in aging. Several areas of research are strongly represented including cognitive development, socioemotional development, developmental psychopathology, and developmental social and affective neuroscience.

There are several exciting clusters of expertise within these broad areas. Research on theory of mind and perspective-taking, as well as learning and knowledge acquisitions, connects with research on the development of executive functioning and self-regulation. This cluster also connects with research on self-evaluation; affective and appetitive motivations; and decision-making. Another vibrant area of work looks at infant processing of action; language; and the statistical properties of everyday visual, linguistic, and musical environments. Finally, many of us share a strong interest in social contextual effects on infant, child, and adolescent well-being, ranging from the “micro” (familial and peer influences, early adversity) to the “macro” (cultural and global contexts of development).

Developmental Psychology faculty also have strong collaborative links with the Center for Translational Neuroscience, Oregon Social Learning Center, Prevention Science Institute, and Oregon Research Institute. Current and previous funding sources for faculty and students in Developmental Psychology at the University of Oregon include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, NSF, NIDA, NICHD, NIMH, ONR, John Merck Scholars Fund, McDonnell Foundation, Templeton, GRAMMY Museum, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Oregon Medical Research Foundation. Graduates from our program are in faculty and postdoctoral positions at the University of Minnesota, Swarthmore, Queens University, Vanderbilt, UC Davis, University of Michigan, Harvard University, Hamilton College, Brock University, Williams, University of Utah, Oregon Health Science University, Oregon Social Learning Center, University of Oregon, Villanova, Brown, University of Regina, Otterbein University, Wabash College, College of Idaho, and elsewhere.